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President Trump’s state visit to Beijing this week was exactly the kind of high-stakes, deal-driven diplomacy Americans elected him to pursue — he arrived with a business-heavy delegation and made clear that trade will be on the table as much as talk. The spectacle of red carpets and photo ops masks the leverage his team brought with them: CEOs, trade bargaining chips, and a willingness to push for American advantage instead of kowtowing to Beijing.
But let’s not be sentimental about it: Xi Jinping publicly warned that Taiwan is a “red line” and hinted that mishandling the issue could lead to conflict, proof that the Chinese regime will use every diplomatic opening to press its advantage. President Trump can sit at the table and cut trade deals, but the American people must demand clarity — does a trade agreement come with any weakening of our commitments to Taiwan or our military posture in the Pacific?
On Newsmax’s The Record, retired Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt and former fighter pilot Ryan Bodenheimer said something worth noting: buying Beijing small economic concessions, including energy purchases, can temporarily smooth tensions and buy America breathing room. That kind of pragmatic brinksmanship — trading market access for quieter behavior — has a place in statecraft, but it must not be mistaken for trust or permanent peace with a regime that frequently hides its intentions.
President Trump has even spoken openly about channeling oil and energy leverage — including talking up deals around Venezuelan reserves and who gets to buy oil — as a way to reshape geopolitical ties and punish bad actors. Using America’s energy strength as leverage is a solid conservative strategy: sell what we produce at a premium, hurt regimes that fund our enemies, and put allies in a position where they respect American interests. But any energy diplomacy must be coupled with ironclad safeguards so Beijing doesn’t simply pocket the economic benefits while continuing malign behavior.
Patriots should applaud the deal-first posture and the tough talk, but we must demand that praise comes with preparation: more clarity on Taiwan, more public commitments to arm and train allies, and a readiness to back words with action. This administration has a chance to secure American interests while reopening trade lines — let it not be a summer of pleasant headlines that leaves hard security problems for another president to fix.
